


Beneath the Waves

by within_a_rustic_cafe



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Eventual Romance, F/M, Kinda, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Slow Build, Steve Rogers Feels, but not really, inventor tony, mermaid natasha, mermaid steve, steve is a mermaid though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2018-12-16 17:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11833749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/within_a_rustic_cafe/pseuds/within_a_rustic_cafe
Summary: Humans and Merfolk weren't always so hostile towards each other. The two species had been friendly long ago. But then the human heart turned nefarious, and soon men had turned to capturing merpeople in search for trade and experimentation...during an age of enlightenment and industrial revolution.A merman by the name of Steve suffers from the loss of a dear friend, Bucky, who had been taken by humans many moons ago. The ship accountable is still burned in the back of Steve's mind,Tony stark, an inventor from America is heading back home after a business meeting with a potential client who was interested in purchasing his world renowned inventions and technology. Something doesn't seem quite right about it all though, no matter how much Tony's advisor, Obadiah Stane tries to persuade him otherwise.When Steve and Tony's pathways collide, the two of them realize that sea and land are more connected than they had ever imagined.





	1. Watching from the Waves

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading !! I've been wanting to start this story for well over a year now. I finally have the mind set to delve in and do so!
> 
> Also, Merman Steve guys...am I right?? and Tony in Victorian clothing?? YES PLEASE

The last of twilight fell over the vast expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, the stars fading into the velvety sky. They sparkled and shimmered, their light flickering in the glow of the moon, reflecting on the water beneath like gentle kisses.

 

A sudden movement below the water caused the glassy sea surface to stir unexpectedly before a creature appeared. At a quick glance, one would have believed the creature was simply a man. Yet, as the being pulled itself onto the large rock that rose from the ocean and perched there, it was easily seen that the creature’s lower half was more like a fish.

 

It was a merman.

 

The blonde sea being sat unmoving, cyan blue eyes alert, darting from one direction to another.

 

He was known to the rest of the merfolk pod as Steven, though he much preferred to be called Steve. He led a defense group within their pod, protecting the helpless and patrolling their sea dwelling borders, on the surface and below. Mostly, they looked out for traces of the human world, like ships or other land items. The merpeople hadn’t always been on guard for human presence; It wasn’t long ago that merfolk and humans lived harmoniously amongst each other. They’d once traded goods, language and skills. That time was gone though. Some humans had turned against the mermaids and mermen, hurting the sea creatures and capturing them for trade. The merfolk communities were forced to flee from the shores of land, living away in random pockets of the sea.

 

Steve took his eyes off his surroundings briefly to graze his palm over the mossy algae that had grown over the protruding rock. Waves had crashed and sloshed upon the stone for thousands of years, the merman thought, and yet life had still found a way upon it.

 

A faint noise caught the blonde’s attention and he quickly turned back onto his main mission. If there was any sign of human activity or presence, Steve needed to report back to his director. He saw nothing gliding on the water though. But the sound had come again, only closer, and without warning, splashing water erupted next to him. Steve jerked back, his hands raised in defense. He calmed though when he realized it was only a fellow mermaid.

 

“Evening, Natasha,” Steve smiled, peering at his beautiful friend, her long red hair curling like tendrils over her shoulders as well as on the watery surface.

 

“Hi, Steve,” she said in return, crossing her arms on a smaller plane of rock and laying her head in the crook of her elbows. The rest of her body swished and swayed in the salty, languid sea. “You’re out late tonight,” Natasha remarked, her green eyes gleaming with moonlight. Steve huffed a small laugh, looking out at nothing in particular.

 

“What’s wrong?” The mermaid asked, poking Steve’s muscular side. The merman snickered before sighing; Natasha knew him well.

 

“Just wanted to scout the terrain tonight. Don’t want to let my guard down…not for a second,” Steve explained while Natasha pulled herself up next to him. “I don’t think I could live with loosing another one of our own,” he continued. Natasha looked down at her hands, pursing her lips in thought. She knew what Steve was referencing.

 

“That wasn’t your fault, you must know that,” Natasha replied quietly, looking to Steve then.

 

“I should have been there. I could have saved him,” Steve admitted, shrugging his defined shoulders and trying to hide the swell of emotion that stirred within his stomach.

 

Natasha laid her head on Steve’s shoulder, taking a big breath in.

 

A few moons ago, Steve had lost his best friend, James, though everyone but Natasha called him “Bucky.” Steve and Bucky were inseparable since they were merbabies, raised together in the same pod all their lives. Natasha empathized with Steve’s heartache entirely, for she and Bucky were life mates, bound together for years, their memories full of love.

 

“I still see the ship that took him,” Steve began again, eyes falling closed. The gold insignia on the ship was etched in his mind, the octopus like tentacles that crawled out from underneath a crimson skull.

 

Merfolk from adjoining pods had spoken of mermaids and mermen being taken by humans nearby, being experimented on and tested. They all should have been more careful.

 

“James wouldn’t want us sulking like this. Nor would he want to see you blaming yourself,” Natasha spoke then, nudging Steve’s pale aqua tail with her own dark grey one.

 

“Indeed,” Steve murmured, looking up to the night sky, his body suddenly void of energy.

 

“Yes, I know.” Natasha stared up at the stars as well, understanding all of what Steve meant with that one word. “I miss him too,” she whimpered.


	2. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark is uneasy about a business opportunity with a particular company. Then an unlikely guest appears on his ship. What else could happen to the inventor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my two lovely betas! All mistakes are mine :)

In the bowels of the spacious ship was a customized laboratory, where a handsome inventor, Tony Stark sat, fiddling with metal and tools. He was on the brink of a new invention, something that was a little different from his usual weapon design and engineering. He was soldering two metal pieces together when small, yet confident footsteps approached the door. There was a knock before a tall and lean woman waltzed in, a leather file in hand.

 

Tony, set down his tools and removed his safety spectacles before turning to see his personal assistant. “Hello Virginia,” The inventor smiled tiredly.

 

“You know I don’t like being called that,” the fair-haired woman remarked, a coy smile on her lips. Tony huffed a small laugh.

 

“So, what’s the good word, _Pepper_?” Tony asked, calling his assistant by her preferred name. He then spotted that folder in her hands. “Is that the dossier of the company?” The inventor spoke before Pepper could. She flicked a curl of golden-red hair over her shoulder before handing Tony the folder and leaning against his work space, careful to not get the skirts of her bustle dress dirty.

 

“Yes, it is,” Pepper responded, watching the man as he opened the dark brown leather sheath to inspect the documents. The assistant was referring to the meeting Tony’s company _, Stark Weaponry,_ had with a potential client in Europe under the name, _Hydra Energy_.

 

“Hmm, Obi is thoroughly convinced that this company is what will get our business flourishing in the European market,” Tony muttered, tapping his finger on his lower lip as he pondered. Obi, or Obadiah Stane, was Tony’s chief advisor and old partner of Tony’s father, Howard, whom had started the Stark family business. Stane and Tony never saw things in the same light, and Tony figured Hydra Energy would not be any different. Pepper watched him, used to seeing that expression on her employer’s face; the inventor was leery.

 

“What is it?” She asked softly, drifting one slender finger under Tony’s chin before gently raising his head until his chestnut eyes met her blue ones. She smiled sweetly, reassuringly. It was a smile that Tony was once rather familiar with, once reserved only for him.

 

Oh, but how times had changed, Tony thought, mind wandering.

 

“Tony?” Pepper spoke again, and Tony blinked away the past that longed to seep into his present.

 

“I just am rather off about this business move,” the brunette finally admitted, moving his head away, away from the woman’s enticing touch. “It’s a big investment, the stakes are high. American companies do not often collaborate with the European market.” Tony stood then, taking his leather gloves off and slipping them into his back pocket while still holding the documents. Pepper pursed her lips and nodded, understanding Tony’s reservations. “Why does an alternative energy company want to establish a business agreement with us, a primarily weapon based industry?”

 

“Did you bring that up in your meeting?” Pepper asked, cocking her head to the side. Tony shook his head.

 

“I wanted to, and had the intention of hearing Arnim Zola’s reasons for what they planned to use our weapons for,” Tony shrugged. “But good ole Obi kept switching the subject.”

 

“This is your company, Tony,” Pepper said gently then, laying a hand on the inventor’s sinewy shoulder. “Your father passed his business to you, not Obadiah. You have the ultimate say in what Stark Weaponry does.” Tony huffed a sigh, looking at Pepper with sincerity. He didn’t know what he would do without her.

 

“Thank you, Pep,” the brunette said, giving a small smile to his assistant. “I’m going to take a pause from this,” Tony started then, gesturing to his workspace. “I’ll get some fresh air and look over the rest of the agreement document.” Pepper thought that was a grand idea as well, and headed off to her quarters of the ship to look through her own documents that needed tended to for their company.

 

 --------

The bow of the massive ship glided through the calm ocean water with ease as the sun rose high in a clear sky. Tony Stark walked along the ship deck, a pile of notes in hand. They were heading back to America, his body and mind more than eager to be back on solid ground. Their trip to Europe was two weeks long, the majority of the time meeting with Hydra Energy, a company that specialized in alternative power and energy creation. The brunette inventor definitely had his reservations about the company that nobody had really known of. It was 1886 however, and America was rather isolated from the rest of the world, so Tony could understand why American companies had not dabbled with this particular business.

 

“Anthony,” A gruff voice called out to the brunette, Tony turned lazily in the voice’s direction, his eyes still scanning over his documents.

 

“What can I do for you, Obi?” Tony murmured as his overseeing advisor, Obadiah Stane approached him.

 

“We’ve got to make a decision about this business deal, son. This possible new client could be just what we need to get Stark Weaponry in the European market,” Obadiah explained. And when Tony continued to look at the business documents in his hand, the older man snatched the papers from the brunette so that Tony would look at him.  

 

“Sorry Obi,” Tony said, brushing a hand through his thick dark hair. “Something doesn’t seem quite right. The statistics and information about their alternative energy is peculiar,” Tony explained, pointing to the documents that Hydra’s lead scientist, Arnim Zola gave him concerning their business. The younger man was trying to explain himself, but Obadiah ignored his worries and took a step forward, towering over Tony.

 

“This is the biggest client we could have. The biggest _paying_ client, Tony. Stark Weaponry will be one of the first American businesses to branch from their isolationist views,” Obadiah stressed. He narrowed his steely blue gaze at the younger man, attempting to get his point even further across. “If your father was here, he would take this deal. He would seize the opportunity for this company, this company that he made from nothing.” Obadiah leaned back then, leering at Tony intimidatingly. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint him,” the balding man smirked, knowing he struck a nerve with the young inventor before walking away, Tony’s notes in hand.

 

Tony took in a deep breath, sighing as he scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the bristle of cropped facial hair on his palm. He looked around the ship before staring out at the beautiful, sparkling sea ahead, the sun radiating on the water and dancing upon the waves. How small and insignificant he felt in that moment.

 

Back home in New York he was the highlight of galas and balls. Tony would savor those nights where he was encapsulated by the grandiose aristocracy and high society. The most notable names in progressive businesses fancied the chance to throw their beautiful daughters at him, hoping their elegant grace and impressively voluminous bustle dresses would catch Tony’s eye; being involved with the Stark family would be a wondrous success for any titled, high society family.

 

Tony loved the parties without a doubt, the glamorous, elitist lifestyle an exquisite extravaganza. Those were the most important things in Tony’s life… until his accident anyways. The brunette leaned against the ship’s rail, the fingers of his one hand tapping a random beat on his chest, where a circular, metallic ring was nestled beneath his dress shirt. It glowed a cool blue, illuminating under the cream cotton shirt; that little circle of light kept Tony alive.

 

About a year ago, Tony had been working in his laboratory in the Stark Mansion, creating a new weapon when a minor error in his formula caused an explosion, shrapnel embedding itself within his chest. It took the most advanced physician, Dr. Yensin, to save Tony’s life by instilling a small magnetic device within his chest. This allowed for the metal shrapnel to stay almost suspended in his body, so that it wouldn’t shred his heart.

 

After Tony awoke from the surgery and recovered, the brunette tweaked the device that Yensin made, so that instead of it being a magnet keeping him alive, it was an arc reactor, something that his father, Howard had designed and Tony perfected.

 

Tony couldn’t help but be apprehensive of this partnership with Arnim Zola and his superior, Johann Schmidt, whom was the founder of Hydra Energy. Something didn’t settle well with him. Why would an alternative energy company be interested in Stark weaponry and innovations?

 

A loud crash and frantic voices jarred Tony back to the present, and soon enough, the brunette was hurrying toward the ruckus on the stern of the ship. _His_ ship. Shouldering his way through the crew members who were surrounding something, Tony reached the center, his eyes affixing upon the object of speculation. Tony’s brown eyes widened at the sight of a creature he’d only read in the fairytales as a child, his butler, Jarvis tucking him into bed every night with a story of fantastical creatures. This one before him was a creature from the sea, and Tony let out a sharp breath as the shock started to wane from his body.

 

A mermaid, no, a _merman_ sat before him. He was caught in a mass of rope, his arms and hands twisted in the strong twine, his tail thrashing and causing him to tangle himself even more. The merman’s wet blonde hair fell over his brow unkemptly as his big cerulean eyes darted around. It was all too clear that the being was purely terrified.

 

“My God,” Tony breathed, his heart leaping beneath his ribcage as he tried to stay calm. He blinked a few times, even rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand as if that would clear his vision, the creature in front of him simply a mirage. Yet, the merman was still there, water glistening on his skin, his body contorting away from the sailors who had an assortment of weapons aimed at him. Clearing his throat, the inventor refocused, the foggy confusion and surprise of the situation being set aside in his mind.

 

“How did he arrive here?” Tony asked quietly, his voice calm as to not frighten the merman. None of the crew answered, their eyes diverted. “Well, clearly he didn’t just jump up here to get a look at you sorry lots,” Tony added, his tone now laced with annoyance.

 

“S-sorry, Mister Stark sir,” one of the crew men began finally, taking off his hat and twisting it in an anxious grip. “W-we had made purchase of some fishing equipment for when we return to our usual occupations as fisherman.”

 

Another soul piped in then. “Yeah, we just wanted to give the new line and rope a try before we reached the main land,” an older crewman said casually. Tony looked back to the younger crewman, his face blotchy and red. The brunette inventor figured the kid was lying, either way Tony disregarded it and took a step closer to the distressed sea creature still bound in rope and listing to the left side a bit.

 

“Fall back please,” Tony said in a more authoritative tone, kneeling then in front of the fear stricken merman. The sea creature flinched before eliciting a small noise that to Tony’s ears sounded like pain.

 

“It’s all right now,” the inventor cooed, his eyes bright and comforting as the merman wriggled beneath the rope. “I promise, I will not harm you,” Tony said, smiling kindly. The merman seemed to understand him, or at least he understood his tone and demeanor. The blonde sea creature’s shoulders relaxed and he slowed his swishing tail. The brunette grinned sweetly, his chocolate brown eyes swimming with reassurance as the merman’s blue eyes emanated the trust he began to feel towards Tony.

 

Inching forward, the brunette took the pair of leather work gloves from his pocket and slipped them on while he asked the crewmen for a knife. Tony took the rope that tangled the merman’s tail in one hand, being handed a knife in the other. The inventor began sawing away the ropes as some crew members around him leaned in to get a better look before digressing back to their ship duties.

 

“Really got yourself in a bind, didn’t you,” Tony jested, smiling brightly. The merman blushed, though he too smiled a sheepish grin before looking away shyly.

 

Tony was beyond astounded, a creature of myth right before his very eyes. He was a scientist, a creator and logical man. And yet there was a mythical creature, a legend of fallacy and fantasy here now in the modern age of enlightenment and evolution. The brunette was both baffled and awed as he continued till the last bit of rope that tethered the merman’s arms fell heavily to the wooden deck.

 

“There now,” Tony said, leaning back on his heels. “Tip top shape. Let’s get you back into the water, huh?” The merman smiled and nodded at that. But when the inventor wrapped an arm under the blonde creature’s shoulder and lifted, the merman let out an ear-piercing scream. Tony bowed under the creature’s shifted weight, his feet slipping. The inventor’s gloved hand caught against the merman’s tail, the cyan scales slicing through the dark leather like butter and slicing his palm. Tony grunted in pain, holding his injured hand. He could hear the crew members running toward them, but Tony turned his attention back to the sea creature who was cradling the upper right side of his tail.

 

The inventor could see a large, gaping wound near where the merman’s hip would have anatomically been if he were a human. Tony found it to be quite a strange wound, deep and penetrated as crimson blood oozed from between shattered glossy scales. Before Tony had a moment to do anything more though, he was yanked away by meaty paws and pulled to his feet.

 

“What the hell are you doing, boy?” Obadiah Stane bellowed, pulling Tony to his feet. He saw the younger man’s torn glove and bleeding hand and he huffed exasperatedly. “Get him to the infirmary and have him cleaned up,” Stane barked, guiding Tony to their traveling doctor who had been on the deck as well, curious about the commotion.

 

“But Obi,” Tony retorted, eyes fiery then. “That creature is hurt, he needs-”

 

“We’ll take care of it,” Obadiah cut him off. “Now go get yourself cleaned up.” The older man stormed away, and the brunette inventor was ushered down to the lower level. Before his vision of the deck was skewed though, Tony turned, looked over his shoulder and thought he saw Obadiah remove his revolver from its holster around his hips as he strode toward the merman.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! It really, truly means so much to me <3


	3. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is stuck on the ship, and Tony is filled with a conflicting thoughts and emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean it has been almost a year since I updated this story?? *shifts awkwardly* I promise to update much more frequently now that I have some more free time! I really love these two characters! 
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING ALONG!  
> Thanks to my beta for being wonderful.

Steve watched the man who had freed him as he was led away. The merman silently pleaded for the man to turn around and come back to him, for he was the only human who had shown him kindness. 

 

Instead, the man was rushed beneath the deck of the ship while the older man, whom he heard a crewmember call, Obadiah, walked towards him with a pistol. The merman knew what such a weapon could do, and so he sat still, regardless of the fear and pain that pulsed within his body, regardless of the blood that seeped from beneath his scales. 

 

Obadiah didn’t say a word as he held the barrel of the revolver to Steve’s temple.  

 

“You have seen this before, no?” Obadiah said, voice gruff, seeing the merman’s unnatural calm. “Saw your fellow fish friends get a bullet in their gut?” The man chuckled lightly, as did a few of the crew that still surrounded them.  

 

“Then you will do right by complying and being a good little fish. No more fighting or I will blast you and your pod to high heaven. You hear me?” Obadiah pushed the gun further into Steve’s head, making the creature hiss at the cold hard metal pressing into his skull. “Answer me, I know you understand what I am saying to you,” Obadiah roared. 

 

Steve wanted to be defiant, to knock this evil man to the ground and figure out his escape. But Steve knew better than to act impulsively in this situation; he couldn’t do much with a wounded hip and revolver to his head. He also couldn’t risk his pod, or the mission he had set out on. 

 

“I understand,” Steve responded, his breathing labored from being out of water for such a long time. The merman glared up at the human, his blue eyes hard and unrelenting. 

 

Obadiah huffed a breath and smirked. He flipped his pistol in his hand so that he gripped the barrel. “Good,” he said before hitting Steve with the butt of his gun, knocking the merman out cold. 

\---- 

Tony sat on a wooden stool as his good friend and doctor, Bruce Banner bandaged his bleeding palm.  

 

“How bad is it, Doc?” Tony asked with an easy smile as Bruce laughed lightly, securing the cotton tourniquet with a pin. 

 

“It’s not the worst I’ve seen,” the smaller man said, finishing up the dressing of his friend’s wound. Bruce turned and began cleaning his medical tools then. “What are you thinking about, Tony?” Bruce asked after a silent pause, rinsing a scalpel in a water basin. Tony looked up and took a deep breath. 

 

 “Nothing, Brucie,” the inventor lied, hopping off the stool and moving towards the door.  

 

“That merman,” Doctor Banner said, wiping his hands on a towel. “That is what is on your mind, is it not?”  

 

Tony stopped, looking at the hand that had been torn up from the merman’s tail. “Can you believe a creature of fairytales is actually real?” Tony asked after a pause, looking to his best friend. 

 

“Well, I always figured mythical creatures had to be influenced from some sort of truth,” Bruce admitted with a small shrug. “Still it does not seem real; it is rather shocking.” 

 

“It is,” Tony replied, glancing at the apothecaries and medicinal herbs Bruce had organized along the shelves of his medical space. “And yet, Obie and the rest of the crew up there were acting as if they had merely caught a game fish,” Tony added, a look of bewilderment on his face. 

 

“Anyways, thank you, Bruce,” The genius said with gratitude, holding up his hand and smiling before exiting the room. Tony felt a sense of uneasiness about so many things. This Hydra Company, Obie, the merman... Tony needed to make sure everything was all right and so he set off to find Obadiah to clarify everything.  

 

The inventor found his advisor in his quarters, writing fervently when Tony opened the door unannounced.  

 

“Tony, what is going on, son?” The older man said, quickly throwing a few other parchments over what he was working on. 

 

“Obie, I do not want us to make any decisions with Hydra Energy until I have truly looked over everything, all right?” Tony explained firmly, though he wondered how stern he looked with a wrapped, swollen hand. “And what did you do with that merman? Did you return him to the sea?”  

 

“Tony, I told you I would take care of it,” Obadiah said, standing up this full height. He was much taller than the inventor, using his height as a tactic of intimidation. 

 

“Clearly the merman being brought on deck was a peculiar incident. We have him below deck being cleaned up,” Stane smiled down at the younger man, acting like the step-in father he vowed to be for Tony when Howard passed away.  

 

“We’ll release him back once Doctor Banner sees to his unfortunate injury. I promise son.” Obadiah patted Tony on the shoulder, looking at the inventor with an assurance.  Tony eyed him, but ultimately backed down, taking a deep breath. 

 

“Thank you, Obie,” he murmured. He had his doubts, but Tony just wanted to trust his advisor. He already had so much to consider with their business proposal. Everything else could be set in the back of his mind for now.  

 

But as the morning turned to midday, and midday turned to evening, Tony stark was restless, unable to find respite in anything.  Even as he tinkered in his chambers of the ship, his thoughts and curiosities falling back to the merman, his azure eyes perfectly captured in his memory.  

 

“Damn!” Tony shouted then, the screwdriver slipping off the small wooden plate he was loosening and hitting him right in his injured palm.  

 

Leaning back in his chair, Tony tossed the tools on his work table and combed his non-injured hand through his unruly dark curls, huffing a breath and staring off at nothing in particular. 

 

He wanted to see the merman, to talk to him. There was an actual creature of folklore on his ship, how could he sit by and not want to know everything about the being? These were the reasonings that Tony used to validate himself as he made his way to the quarters in which the sea creature was supposedly held. Tony wanting to see the merman had nothing to do with the merman’s soft look of trust when the brunette spoke to him. Or the silent kindness in his smile. 

 

The inventor quelled those unwanted, deviant observations before reaching the chamber that held the merman. Tony placed a hand on the brass handle, took a breath and opened the door. 

 

 


	4. A Blossoming Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve wakes up in a room alone only to be surprised by a meeting from Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this story! And Thanks to my beta! <3

Steve woke up to a low-lit room, the sunset shining through the one circular window in the small space. He went to sit up, only for a wave of nausea and dizziness to wash over him. He groaned from the feeling, as well as the immense pain that blossomed in his skull. He laid back down with a thud, his hand gingerly touching the area where Obadiah struck him. Steve closed his eyes, breathing in slowly to stave off the uneasy feeling in his stomach. The merman sighed in frustration at the predicament he was in.  

  

This was not how he thought his day would go.  

  

The merman had been surveying the perimeter of where his pod lived, looking for anything that would be considered suspicious. He, Natasha and their friend Sam were the three protectors of their pod, and it was their duty to report any strange activity to their director, Nick.   

  

Natasha and Sam were in different areas when Steve noticed a shadow pass above him as he was swimming, only to realize it was a ship. The merman’s heart raced at the realization, remembering what happened to his best friend the last time a ship passed by. The vessel slowed overhead, an anchor dropping to the sea floor, catching on a small reef. Colorful fish scattered from the intrusive metal object that wedged itself within their home, pieces of coral and rock breaking from the anchor’s impact. Steve wondered if that ship was the same one that took Bucky and were coming back to capture more of his pod.   

  

Without a second thought, Steve raced through the water, his tail moving rapidly, the translucent scales catching in the light of the sun as he neared the surface. Steve breached the surface of the salty sea, quickly surveying the ship. He looked for the same insignia he had seen the day Bucky was captured, but the merman saw nothing but the name “Stark” painted on the haul of the boat. Steve swam under the ship to the other side, looking for any identifying marker, only for a large net to be cast upon him, he yelled and struggled to get the water-logged rope off of him. The weight of the twine dragged him under the water, entangling his arms and tail. Small fish were caught within the netting as well, and the merman did all that he could to help free his little friends, helping them shimmy through the square holes of the woven net. By the time he freed the last fish, the net was raised, and Steve was hoisted up from the water and dropped upon the dark deck of the ship.  

  

Steve writhed under the ropes, trying to free himself when a man with a scar across his cheek wasted not a moment to spear Steve right in his side to maim him and his fierce actions. Steve yelled in pain, the wound crippling him as he nursed the bleeding laceration. The ropes were heavy, brushing his chest and arms raw as he weakly struggled to fend off the men on the ship, their weapons drawn.  

  

All Steve could think of then was not himself, but his pod...Natasha, Sam, and Nick. He failed them, like he failed Bucky. He was not able to protect them, or the other creatures in the sea. That was the only thing he felt was his purpose...to help those who could not defend themselves. He jeopardized their safety and location too by being captured. Merpeople were not a rogue species, these humans would know there were more of his kind nearby.  

  

And then, as the pain of his injury worsened, and his strength began to fade, and the seamen closed in, a masculine voice called out amongst the chaotic shouting around him. Steve was afraid, but the presence of that dark-haired man, with large eyes that showed genuine concern seemed to ease the utter fear that twisted in his chest.  

  

When he spoke to Steve, his voice was kind and his pearly smile comforted the merman, giving Steve the confidence to trust him as the brunette cut away the ropes and tried to help Steve into the sea. Even when he was escorted away, leaving Steve alone with the seemingly ruthless crew members, Steve could see the kind man did not want to leave Steve, and was worried for him.  

  

Now, as he laid there in the chambers of the vessel, Steve truly hoped he would see that man one more time. To thank him for his kindness, and maybe he would be able to help Steve get off the boat too somehow.  

  

When he had the strength to sit up once again, Steve did, though still with great effort. He fought the wooziness that swirled in his mind, focusing on his need to get out of there and back to his pod. He surveyed his surroundings, noticing metal objects that looked like tools of some sort. Two soaked rags were pressed on his gills, which were along the underside of his ribs. The water allowed his gills to filter water into his body so that he could breathe with ease. Steve could see then that there was a white cloth wrapped around his lower abdomen, dots of crimson blooming the fabric. He gently pulled the mesh from where it covered his wound to see stitching there. The black thread had sealed the cut, though blood still encrusted the area a bit.  

  

The merman smoothed the cloth over his hip as tenderly as possible, biting his lip at the burn of the rough cloth catching on the stiches. The merman was not sure how he could get out of this room, let alone the ship without help. The narrow table he was on was a long way down for a creature with a tail. He would have to use all his upper body strength to crawl back to the deck. His tail was mostly pure muscle, but it did little good when out of the water.   

  

Footsteps could be heard from outside Steve’s room then, and suddenly the door opened to reveal the man from the ship, the one that saved him! However, Steve was still cautious, sitting stock still, his body on alert in case he had to defend himself.  

  

“Hello,” the dark-haired man cooed, his hands up as a form of neutrality; he must have sensed Steve’s uneasiness.  Steve saw the man’s one palm wrapped with white gauzy fibers; he must have had his wounds dressed from when he sliced his hand on Steve’s scales. “I mean you no harm,” he added, taking a few steps towards the merman. Steve didn’t stray his gaze, keeping his blue eyes pinned on the man’s deep brown ones. Steve’s shoulder’s relaxed some, the warm hues of the man’s eyes bringing a calmness to the merman.  

  

“Can you understand what I am saying to you, merman?” the man asked, and Steve took in a deep breath before nodding.   

  

“I understand you,” Steve said, his voice extremely soft. He brought his hands to his laps, clasping them and looking down reticently. The man stared at him in awe, mouth agape when Steve spoke.  

  

“W-what is...what may I call you, merman?” The man finally stammered out. Steve looked back up at him, gently laying a hand on his bandaged side before answering.  

  

“My name is Steven,” he answered, giving a small smile as he felt himself relax some more. “I go by Steve though,” he added after a moment.   

  

“Steve,” the brunette grinned, dropping his hands to his sides then. He suddenly let out a chuckle, and Steve looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I’m sorry,” the man said, his smile infectious, causing Steve to smile back at him. “I just pictured you having a fantastical name, with more aquatic undertones perhaps. Like Poseidon or Neptune,” he snickered, reaching his unbandaged hand back and rubbing at his neck, closing his eyes a moment. He winced from rubbing at the tight muscle there. Steve watched him, tracing the details of the man’s face as he massaged his neck. He noticed dark eye lashes curled against warm skin, his chin defined underneath the well cropped facial hair. The bridge of the man’s nose had a gentle slope. It was only when the man opened his eyes and looked at Steve that he realized he was staring.   

  

“And what is your name?” Steve asked, his cheeks warming from being caught.   

  

“Tony,” he said, leaning a hip against the wall next to Steve. The brunette folded his arms across his chest, glancing at the floor boards. “Tony Stark.” Steve nodded, remembering the name “Stark” on the side of the ship earlier.  

  

“Thank you, for doing what you did earlier, Tony,” Steve said, shifting slightly on the table. “You saved my life.” Steve believed that from the bottom of his very being, that if Tony had not intervened when he did, Steve would have been wounded even further or killed.   

  

“You’re welcome,” the man responded, the one side of his mouth curving up. “I am sorry for what happened. I still have no idea what their intentions were when they hoisted you out of the sea,” Tony said with a shrug of his shoulders. “But I hate to have you here unsupervised.”   

  

“Mister Stark,” Steve interjected then, concern swelling in his chest. By the way Tony was speaking, it made things sound as if Steve would be on this boat permanently, and that could not happen. “I really must return to my pod. They will wonder where I have gone,” Steve explained, feeling a raspy scratch wrack inside his lungs.   

  

“No reason to fret, Steve,” Tony assured him. “I just want our doctor to watch over you for a small while until your wounds are healed some. If you enter the ocean now, I fear that predators would swarm you within moments.” Tony looked at him with genuine worry, which Steve truly appreciated. But Steve needed to get back to his group and warn them of the humans that were passing above their home. He also didn’t feel safe on this ship unless Tony was with him. Surely the man had other things to do besides play nanny to an injured sea creature.  

 

“Thank you, Tony, for all that you did back there...on the deck. You have been the only one to show me kindness. Well, I presume the doctor who patched me up must be quite considerate too,” Steve responded, eyes cast down a moment before they flicked up to the man’s own deep irises. 

 

“May I?” Tony asked, approaching the oceanic creature before him. His non-injured hand gently grasped the raw edge of the cream cotton that was covering Steve’s lacerations. Steve watched him, looking at him, blue eyes wide. He had a swell of nerves, though he was not sure why. He trusted Tony, by the was so close, and Steve felt suddenly unsure of himself. 

 

“Yes,” he breathed,” lungs raspy. Tony smiled, tenderly lifting the bandage to see Bruce’s steady stitching of the merman’s wound. It was clean and looked very good considering a spear had been thrusted into the sea creature’s side. Tony was also surprised by how quickly Steve was indeed healing. The wound was sutured closed, but the flesh already began to stitch itself closed, a puckered red line trailing down the merman’s side and to his scaly hip bone. 

 

“Marvelous,” Tony said under his breath, completely shocked by Steve rapid healing. The scientist within Tony wanted to know how everything in this sea creature’s body functioned, as if to take him apart to understand. But Tony was not like the members of his crew, where they saw Steve as a creature beneath human life, or just some spectacle. 

 

Tony didn’t notice the sincere blush that bloomed upon the sea creature’s cheeks and neck as the brunette observed him in wonderment.  

 

“I’ve never believed any fairytale creature to be real,” Tony said, smiling lightly. There was a pause before Tony continued. “I am sorry, I must be overstepping all bounds of etiquette,” Tony chuckled, taking a step back from the merman. “My apologies.” 

 

“It is quite all right,” Steve responded, blinking quickly and looking down at his tail. 

 

“Merfolk know of you...humans I mean,” Steve explained, coughing a bit. Though he could breathe out of water, it was extremely uncomfortable after a while. His lungs and gills worked in unison, and when Steve felt that the cloths under his ribs were almost dry, he felt a panic surge through him.  

 

“Here, allow me,” Tony began, hurrying over to take the drying cloths from the man’s gills and soaking them in the water filled bucket on Bruce’s work table. “Lean back for me, please,” Tony said, and Steve immediately consented, leaning back on his elbows. The brunette quickly went to work, dribbling the water over the creature’s gills. Almost instantly, Steve’s breathing became regular once more, his chest heaving with relief of his gills opening. 

 

“Thank you, so very much,” Steve said, his voice less pained. “My, I must sound like a repetitive tune,” Steve lamented, shaking his head. “I feel like I am rather a burden to you and-” 

 

“Now now,” Tony cut him off, having his bandaged hand. I highly doubt you have had any intention to be harpooned in the hip and taken captive from your fellow merfolk,” Tony explained, giving the sea creature a shrug. “I just want to make sure you are healthy enough to swim back to your pod and not become victim to a hungry shark,” Tony smirked. “Or a leviathan,” he joked, referencing another folklore beast.  The inventor moved away from Steve then to walk around the small room. 

 

“Doctor Banner was extremely kind to take care of me,” Steve said, his eyes following Tony’s movements. “I should be all right to leave by tomorrow morning, I dare say.” 

 

“Your healing capabilities are rather extraordinary, Steve,” Tony said with a grin, his gaze moving from the merman’s magnetic blue eyes, down to his pink lips and strong chin... 

 

Forgetting himself, Tony observed the strapping musculature of Steve’s chest and abdomen before settling on his iridescent aqua tail. Steve was a remarkable sight in the name of science and physicality. Tony wasn’t sure why he had seemed so bewitched by Steve, but he cleared his throat, and took a breath, realizing he was not clandestine in his open observations of the merman. 

 

“Well, I must let you rest, good merman,” Tony started, turning for the door. “I shall be back to check in on you, as well as send a meal for you.” 

 

“Mister Stark,” Steve called, and Tony turned to look at him, his wrapped hand on the door frame. Steve eyed him a moment, not sure what he wanted to tell the compassionate man. 

 

“Your generosity and kindness are much appreciated,” the sea creature said, gently placing his hand over his heart. “I am forever in your debt.” Steve truly meant that. The horrors he had known about humans, had been backed by the storied taught to him as a merbaby, and when Bucky was taken. But Tony was a ray of light that shown upon him and his belief on humanity. He brought warmth to Steve and the hope that one day merfolk and humans would be able to amicably coexist once more. 

 

“You owe me nothing, Steve,” the brunette replied, his voice sweet and his tone soft. With that, the man turned around, and headed out, closing the door behind him. 


End file.
